Don't laugh. I am a total Dinoholic. I love everything Dinosaur. When I told my mother that the Jurassic Park series was one of my all time favorites, she spent the next half hour reading off a list of movies she felt were much more worthy of my adoration. Seriously. Hey, I told you NOT to laugh! Oh, well, I guess I asked for it. Admit you are a total geek, and you get what you paid for, sigh.
Well, the point of all this is that my poor stepkids and my daughter are doomed to be forced into sharing excursions involving good old fashioned dinosaur hunting. So, I guess we are super lucky to live in the Southwest. Just today I read there is a paleontologist by the name of Mark McMenamin who believes he has discovered the lair of the mythological Kraken! And guess where? Right here in Nevada! Color me totally psyched! Apparently Mesonychoteuthis, otherwise known as the colossal squid, was a critter that hunted the seas that covered northwestern Nevada during the Triassic period. This beast would have been over 100 feet long, more than large enough to gorge itself on the Ichthyosaurs, Nevada is famous for. Which, surprisingly I did not even know about until I read the article about McMenamin's Kraken.
The Berlin Ichthyosaur State Park lies 443 miles north of Las Vegas in Gabbs, Nevada. While this is a VERY long drive, I think it will make an excellent road trip for the family on some future three-day weekend. Or, since my stepson has suggested we rent a Camper for a family vacation some time, perhaps we could take in the Ichthyosaur park on our way north toward the California Redwoods, or up to Lake Tahoe. I don't really care how or when it happens, but this is definitely going onto the family vacation must do list!
Well, the point of all this is that my poor stepkids and my daughter are doomed to be forced into sharing excursions involving good old fashioned dinosaur hunting. So, I guess we are super lucky to live in the Southwest. Just today I read there is a paleontologist by the name of Mark McMenamin who believes he has discovered the lair of the mythological Kraken! And guess where? Right here in Nevada! Color me totally psyched! Apparently Mesonychoteuthis, otherwise known as the colossal squid, was a critter that hunted the seas that covered northwestern Nevada during the Triassic period. This beast would have been over 100 feet long, more than large enough to gorge itself on the Ichthyosaurs, Nevada is famous for. Which, surprisingly I did not even know about until I read the article about McMenamin's Kraken.
The Berlin Ichthyosaur State Park lies 443 miles north of Las Vegas in Gabbs, Nevada. While this is a VERY long drive, I think it will make an excellent road trip for the family on some future three-day weekend. Or, since my stepson has suggested we rent a Camper for a family vacation some time, perhaps we could take in the Ichthyosaur park on our way north toward the California Redwoods, or up to Lake Tahoe. I don't really care how or when it happens, but this is definitely going onto the family vacation must do list!
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